


The Question

by darcymariaphoster



Series: Learning to Grow Up [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Family Fluff, Humor, M/M, Parentlock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-02
Updated: 2014-04-02
Packaged: 2018-01-17 23:31:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1406605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darcymariaphoster/pseuds/darcymariaphoster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*Greg/John/Sherlock*</p><p>*Sort of follow-up to Little Sunshine. Twelve years later.*</p><p>Emily works up the nerve to ask her parents how they got together. </p><p>(Introductory story.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Question

Sherlock looks up as the door slams shut. His head tilts a little, as if he’ll be able to hear better that way. Emily storms up the stairs to the flat, intending to continue up to her room. But her papa’s voice causes her to pause. She looks at him, her anger fading slightly as he invites her to sit with him. She shuffles her feet before dropping her bag by the door -- which, everyone knows, drives Sherlock _mad_ and he _knows_ she’s picked up the habit from her father. She flops onto the couch and crosses her mostly bare legs gracefully for having such long limbs. “Bad day?” he asks casually, not looking up from his laptop. It’s actually Emily’s favorite way of communicating, both parties pretending not to care or listen but absorb every word ranted. She’s grown up with Sherlock talking to John and Greg that way; it’s most comfortable.

 

“Frustrating,” she answers, undoing her sandals. “Tons of homework, as per usual. Fussy teachers. And, get this, Anna-Lynn ditched last period with Carter again. Why do people _do_ that?” She sprawls on the couch, scooting down so her feet dangle over the arm. Sherlock glances at her, smirking a bit. He has to hand it to her that she’s very observant; she’s picked up on every bad habit that has ever driven any of her parents crazy and is constantly using them. The position she currently holds is one that John is consistently complaining about his family relaxing in. Something about breaking down something…

 

He hums as he looks back at his screen. “I have no clue. Did you walk from the stop alone then?” She mutters an affirmative. “How irritating of her. Just wait; she’ll regret it.”

 

Emily tips her head back to stare at him without moving. “You gonna threaten her or something?” Her voice, while mainly curious, holds a small tone of smugness. For always promoting peace, she seems to have a definitive violent side.

 

Sherlock lets his lips curl up slightly, a sort of amused smile that only Emily can drag from him so easily. “Nature will. Do we need to have that talk again?”

 

With a gagging sound, she answers, “ _No_. That was so awkward, Papa. We _don’t_ need it again.” Emily hides her face behind her hands, a blush crawling up her neck.

 

“What kind of homework do you have tonight?” Sherlock inquires, attempting to swallow a snicker at her reaction. “Nothing you can’t handle, I’m sure.”

 

“History,” she groans behind her hands. The thing about Emily is she has taken an odd turn in interests over the past seven years. It started when she came home from second grade one day and refused to “eat animals” anymore. From there on, she’s become a bit difficult. Normally fairly quiet, she’s _never_ afraid to give her opinion on something. Recently, it’s become a bit of a demotivator for Greg. “It’s all a bunch of bull shit anyway. They’re teaching us lies. It should be an optional class. If I wanted to pay to get told stories, I’d get a library card.”

 

Sherlock covers his mouth, unable to hold back the snort at that one. “It’s not _your_ money that’s being spent to teach you, Em. Don’t whine.” Just to ruffle his feathers, she takes a deep breath and lets out the loudest whine she can. Sherlock nudges her shoulder with his sock-covered foot to hush her. “That really gets on my nerves. I’ll ground you with a history book if you do that again. It’s not that bad; just do it quickly and get on with life. Do more _logical_ things. But remember one thing, Emily, if nothing else.” She’s quiet a moment, waiting to hear what he has to say. “Even if history is a pointless subject, those stories are ones the vast majority rely upon. Learn them because you never know when they can come in handy. Information is valuable. Never take it for granted. Never delete what you deem insignificant because it normally turns out to be _very_ important at some point. So do your homework and get it over with because I plan to quiz you at random this week.” He watches Emily get up with a groan and start to walk away. “Sandals, Emily.” She huffs, coming back to collect them before heading upstairs, snagging her bag on the way.

 

Sherlock sighs, shutting his laptop and setting it aside. There are some days that simply _seeing_ his daughter makes him tired. He rubs his face and stands, going to start on dinner.

 

***

 

Greg is home late that night. Emily is doing dishes but pauses to heat up a plate of lasagna for her father. John joins Greg at the table for company and the three of them talk about their day. When dishes are done, they shuffle into the sitting room with ice cream and gelato (“because Sherlock has taught their daughter that expensive tastes best,” insists John). After emptying the majority of her bowl, Emily suddenly declares, “So, you guys still haven’t told me how you got together.”

 

John starts choking on his ice cream as soon as the words leave her mouth. While Greg fusses to make sure he’s all right, Sherlock hides his face behind his bowl, shoulders shaking with silent laughter. “Augh, god,” John sputters and pats his chest. “Sherlock, that wasn’t funny. Why the sudden interest, Emily?”

 

Emily, watching her parents in amusement, looks back at her bowl. “I just haven’t heard the story. I don’t know if you were dating for a week or if it was years or maybe just something spontaneous. Maybe it was complicated. It was complicated, wasn’t it?”

 

Greg nods at that. “Definitely complicated…” he mutters distantly. “I don’t know if that’s a very… Well, I…” He’s having trouble coming up with an excuse as to why they _can’t_ tell her their story.

 

“It’s a long one,” John intervenes quickly. “Are you sure you’d want it tonight?” Emily shrugs and he frowns. “No, I’m serious. Why were you suddenly thinking about it? It’s never been a big deal before.”

 

“I dunno,” she answers after a moment of careful consideration. “It came up over lunch the other day. Some of my friends were talking about how their parents got together. One said their parents only knew each other for a month before they married. Someone else said that it took her parents four years before they finally got married. I know that it’s not technically...legal for you guys to be married but there had to have been some sort of indicator that your relationship was final or something.”

 

Greg shifts uncomfortably in his seat. John easily takes over again. “Well, it’s not a story only one of us can tell so…” He leans back and swings his feet onto the coffee table, turning the volume down on the television. “I just don’t know where it all really started…”

  
“I do,” Sherlock answers immediately. “It started with you two. And a milkshake.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to keep this a stand-alone because the actual story they will "tell" is about a two or three piece thing (I'm not sure if I'm going to add the third part or let it be by itself). The main reason this story was important is because I wanted to show how things have kind of changed and yet not really changed at all and a bit of a peek at who Emily has become. 
> 
> Also, I'm playing around with present-tense -- it's not really my forte as I've always worked with past-tense. Please, please tell me what you think! :D Much love to everyone!


End file.
